MANCHESTER, Vt. – September 3rd, 2026 – Every student at Maple Street School began the year the same way this week, with a handshake (or a high five) from Head of School, Dan Skoglund, a greeting they will repeat each morning all year long.

Students, families, founders, and board members gathered at the entrance for the school’s Opening the Doors Ceremony with music, coffee and Willoughby’s Donuts. Chris Crawford, one of Maple Street’s founders, read the Walt Whitman poem she has read every year since the building opened, followed by welcoming remarks from Board Chair, Amanda Baer, and a community-wide singing of the Vermont state song. Skoglund closed with a message to students and families about the school’s mission and core values, encouraging everyone in the community to feel comfortable both asking for help when they need it and offering it to others.

The setting said something too. On one side of the gathering stretched the playground, green sports fields and the bold profile of Equinox Mountain. On the other, just behind the current Maple Street building, stands the fully framed new middle school wing, under construction by Naylor & Breen. 

That makes this a nostalgic and transitional year for students and staff alike. Classes will move into the new wing for the 2027-2028 school year. The addition will include a maker space, a student lounge, and new Middle School classrooms for math, English, history, and science, alongside renovations and reorganizations across the entire building that will enhance the Maple Street experience for years to come.

Judging by the energy at the doors this morning, it is going to be a great year.

Go Moose!

Learn more about Maple Street School at www.maplestreetschool.com and the Opening New Doors campaign at www.opening-new-doors.com.